Jan is a distinctive choice, ranked #639 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Jan in their class.
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UK Rank 2025
#639
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About the Name Jan
Jan has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 213 places in five years. It was most popular in 2017 at #226 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Jan is uncommon in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Jan in their class.
⭐ Famous People Named Jan
Jan Smithers — Karin Jan Smithers is an American former actress, model and singer.
Jan Andrlík — Jan Andrlík is a Czech sprint canoeist who competed in the early 2000s.
Jan Matsys — Jan Matsys or Jan Massijs was a Flemish Renaissance painter known for his history paintings, genre scenes and landscapes.
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Jan
Unlikely. With around 57 UK babies named Jan per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Jan in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Jan is declining: down 338 places since 2020, to #639 in 2025. It peaked at #226 in 2017.
Jan is a distinctive choice sitting outside the mainstream UK top names. Parents choosing less common names often find their children appreciate the individuality as they grow up, rarely needing to add an initial to distinguish themselves.
Notable people named Jan include: Jan Smithers, Jan Andrlík and Jan Hus. Short summaries for each appear below.
Jan does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Jans in the wild.
57
UK babies named Jan (2025)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↓ 338 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Jan
Almost certainly the only Jan in the class
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UK Popularity (1996–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
No US data available for this name
✨ Similar names to Jan
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Jan Hus, sometimes anglicized as John Goose or John Huss, and referred to in historical texts as Iohannes Hus or Johannes Huss, was a Czech theologian and philosopher who became a Church reformer and the inspiration of Hussitism, a key predecessor to Protestantism, and a seminal figure in the Bohemian Reformation.
Jan Joest, also known as Jan Joest van Kalkar or Jan Joest van Calcar, was a Dutch painter from either Kalkar or Wesel (both now in Germany), known for his religious paintings.